Automatic toy.



B. F. BAIN.

AUTOMATHJ mv.

APPLICATION HLEG JAN. 24, an.

Patented Oct. 30, 191 r.

s'snens suuw NVENTOR Benjami F Bo n WITNESSES B. F. BAIN.

AUTOMATICTOY.

APPLICATION FILED um. 24, 1911'.

1,244,455 Patented, Oct. 30, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

WITNESSE$ INVENTOR B j min F. Bad 3 3 BMW B. F. BAIN.

AUTOMATIC TOY.

wmcmou mm 1.01.24, I917.

1,244,455. Patented Oct 30,1917.

3 SHEETS--SHEET a.

wwntsszs INVENTOR r Wig/QM 1 M IL:- (Linn- 1 UNITED emit nilNJAMIN F. 1mm;

or PITTSBURGH, iENNSYLVAN'IA;

:auitl articularlytdgr'avity opemted devices The obj eet ie to prdvi'deen improved-1:63 which wi'll worle ddntimieilslyiby' weig'ht 0f w cha rgle'" placed F therein; and" :eounter' weightfluntil the lchttr gd his? bee ca rifled from =.-tl1e-t6y :te'a distemper For this' pur pose Inean areproi ided to' diseliarge eesriiall portion of the stored meterial at e -timein tb a movalile parfi'o'i the d'eyice; which then 015 erl'ites by g'ravity to en:1'=ry the'1oedt'oi ndthei" point; there "discharge" it; and then is re tux-lied .bylat-"counterweight; to -'tlie "et'airting po eition'td repeat the'j'o eretiona=- Alt-power is=provided by fifieeiiso gravity of-a portion of-"the' Ceherge .be'ing .tfeZxi'spmted -fa'nd rif -e eounteriveightz' The purposeis'jtqp r'o vide' a tdy which will :eontfhue' tWopeifIt untamed: cally for a considerable tinivby redson ofa single charge "so as to stimulate and-hold the intrest -of-anaveragemhild, While at the same time furnishing en-ebjeet lessen; in me'ch'anic" and' the operation" of 1. i phy'sicgil laws. Other; objects are-t0 'provide afquiclc acting device, having rapid "movei'rient 0f the transporting parts; simultzinetius 'opere tion of the transporting and'load'meiiefir ing= means; and the 'quick I loading and 1m: loading pf the'transpbrting meens.f 7

R ferr'ing t0 the aceompenying'drawing's; Figure "1 is 'ii' sideelevationpf the toy; :shgwing car in "loed-reeeiving pbs itijon '2 is e. parti'elisectionand plan ofthe'track, the car and hoppers being rembved; Fig1-3 isa side elevation of the toy showingacar'in loeddischarging position; Fig." 4 is ah front elevation of the hopper and meesuring receptaicle; Fig. 5-is a front elevation of'a'load carryin car;-Fi .,6.'is aside elevation of a modified fermo ear'and traeli; Fig; 7 isa view si'niilai 'to'that of Fig. 6, showingthe car in dischargin position; and Fig. 8 is a front elevation 0 the modified 'car' and track as sho'wn'in' Fig; 6i i The-device in the for-m here illustratedcomprises an inclined plane-1 consisting of Specilieatirm 91' Letters r't'n't.

' ad'a pted in the closed-position 0 Patented Oct. 30,- 19181,

track -and" its dipper-ts" are'-' readilytaken compared to 'eachothet and to 'their rspec tive cepecitie's. A gete v'alve l l is pivot'ed by=' e "-pin 15, andwings 16 t0 the measuring h0pp'e'r13, and is adapted te' normal'ly hang below theoutlet 17 of hopper 13,, and to close that opening. To the'b'ottom ofwalve l i-is' riveted"aweight -18 'and' ag riggid arm 19, the valid: to dependverti'eellyg-w I w A car ha, "ngebodj 20;"0n fixed-trucks 21',

and wheels 22, ie adapted to rim on-the truck above'des erihed. T-he'lower end of the car. is closedhy alift -gatefid-g in thefmgm =of 'a= plate with rigidly attached members. 4=; ex-

tending: parallel with the car beitezn and pivote to the rear end'o'f the-oer body by pins 25. By thismeans the gateZB is attached so as to close-the forward-end of the car normally, but is freeto be'liftedto-iillow a load to be discharged thereunder.' The upper'e e of the car is turned outward-t0 form prO eetin'g lips 26 which" prevent the gate from bein lifted-clear-0f=the' car. -A' cross member 2 is riveted toithe gate, and has depending Iends28, carrying supplementarywheels 29, which are adapted to engage and ride on supplementary tracks 30. These tracks consist 0 plates fastened to the main runway near its lower end by pins 31, the tracks being formed by an angle in said plates, providing fiat tracks outside the main tracks and in the line of travel of wheels 29. These supplementary tracks have upturned terminals 32, and notches 33 adapted to en gage and seat on base member 8.

The car is attached by a cord 34, running over a pulley 35, carried at the upper end of the track member, to a counterweight 36, somewhatheavier than the empty car.

The operation of the device is as follows Normally the gate valve 14; is held in closed position by weight 18 and depending arm 19, as shown in Fig. 3. With the car in position at the lower end of the track, the hopper 10 is charged with sand,.or any other suitable material. that will flow readily through the outletlO. The sand flows into the measuring hopper 13 which is of the propersize to contain just a car load. As soon'as the measuring hopper is filled, the outlet from the main hopper is closed by the banking up of the material itself and no more flows.

After the main hopper is filled or charged, the car ,is released, and is pulled to the top of-the track by the counter-weight 36 and pulley arrangement shown in Fig. 3. When it comes under the hopper, the ear strikes the arm 19 and forces it upward to the position shown in Fig. 1. This moves the gate 14 to open the entire bottom of the supplementary hopper l3. Consequently, the measured contents of the lower hopper are instantly discharged into the car, while very little material flows from the hopper 10 through the relatively small outlet 10*, until the car, by reason of the load discharged into it, has moved down the track. Then the gate 14 returns to position to close the measuring hopper, and the refilling thereof continues during a large part of the travel downward and back of the car. By reason of the slow filling and quick discharge of the lower receptacle, discharge of. material from the main hopper is almost continuous, adding greatly to the interest of a child in its operation, and the car receives its load almost instantly upon arrival at the top. of its travel. This latter feature makes the travel back and forth of the car practically con tinuous, since it loads and discharges immediately upon arrival at the limlts of its travel. And the quick loading upon arrival under the hopper renders it unnecessary to provide mechanical means for retaining or lockin the car in position for load receiving. This is an important advance over the prior toys of this class.

The car moves downward by force of gravity of its load to the bottom of the incline, There the wheels 29 ride on supplementary tracks 30 and lift the end gate 23 so that the contents of the car is discharged thereunder. As soon as this is .done, the car is pulled up by the counterweight, and again receives a load from the hopper, as above described. The operation is con tinuous until the mainhopper is emptied into the receptacle 37. Whereupon the sand may be returnedto the hopper to start the operation all over again.

While I have described an inclined plane and car thereon,-it will be obvious that the features of a-small opening in the main hopper, a load measuring supplementary hopper, a gate valve cont-rolling the entire-bottom of the lower receptacleadapted to be operated by travel of a load receiving member,-.whereby.1.secure aprolonged flow. of material from the main hopper, a quick discharge of a measured load immediately on arrival of the load transporting member, and the closing of the bottom of the measuring receptacle as soon as-tlie 'load is discharged-may be applied to other forms of toys besides a car on an inclined plane, and will be equally desirable iii-such other forms. Therefore I .donot limit-inyinvention to the specific toy here described, and thereare other features ofthe toy illustrated and described and hereinafter claimed which are not dependent upon the presence of the load measuring supplementa hopper, such for instance, as the specific f orms of the transporting means andthe gates for discharging the load therefrom, and- I Wish it understood that the claims hereinafter made which do not include the loadmeasuring feature. are not to be construed as dependent upon the specific form of load supply means illustrated and described herein;

An important novel feature of the toy illustrated and described is a car having a non-tilting body, but provided with a discharge'outlet and a valve for closin the outlet. One formof such car and disc arge outlet with closure for same is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of the car, having adischarge opening in its bottom instead of atits end, and having a horizontally instead of,a vertieally swinging valve for closing the same. As shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the modified car comprises a body 20, and Wheels 22, fixed to the body by members 21. The car has a flared top 37, and is hopper shaped, the walls meetin in a bottom of comparatively small area, which is open, forming an outlet 38, controlled by the swinging gate valve 39. This valve has lateral wings 40 which are attached to the car body by pins or rivets 41. At the rear of the gate is a wall 39 preventing the forward travel thereof beyond normal closed position. The sloping rear end of the ear allows the gate valve to swing teammate-nee t'l'1eoi1tlkit"3'8'. An mama is fixed to the bottom of the gate valve a'ild normally depends vertically therebelow. \'V'Iihh-"'thiS"ciiris usiid, the sup 'ileinentary tracks 30 are unnecessary. lnstezuhthe middle portion of the inclined plane member 1, is cut out to form a 510F415, through which the arm l2 depends.

l'iihen illlllS CtllijS lqaded from n 'ieasuring Mapper 13;oi aii'y otl'lef"means, at the top of the track, it moves downward as stated in reference to the first described car. At the bottom of the track the arm 42 strikes the end 44 of slot a3, and the gate valve is thrown back to the position shown in Fig. 7, whereupon the load immediately discharges into receptacle 37, and the car returns to the top of the track, the gate valve moving back to closed position as the ear starts upward.

The device is simple, does not readily get out of order, and works regularly and easily.

I cla11n:---

1. An auton'iatic toy, comprising an inclined track, a car thereon, a concial hopper situated over the track and having a small opening at its bottom, a supplementary hopper situated under the opening from the main hopper and having its entire bottom open, a valve controlling the bot tom of the secondary hopper and adapted to be operated by movement of the car, and means to discharge material from the car at the lower end of the track, and to return the empty car to position under the supplementary hopper.

.2. An automatic toy, comprising an inclined track, a car thereon adapted to be held normally in position at the upper end of the track by a counterweight, a hopper above the upper end of the track, a supplemen tary hopper beneath the main hopper, a valve operated by movement of the car controlling the outlet from the supplementary hopper, and means to discharge flowing material from the car at the lower end of the track without tilting the car.

3. An automatic toy, comprising an inclined track, a car thereon, means to deliver a measured load of flowing material to the car upon its arrival at the top of the track, and means at tllQbOiltOin of the track to open the gate controlling an outlet from the ear, whereby its load is discharged without tilting the car.

4:. An automatic toy, comprising an in clined track, a car movable thereon, a pulley at the upper end of the track, a cord attached to the car and to a counterweight adapted to draw the ear upward on the track, a main hopper having a relatively small outlet at its bottom, a supplementary measuring hopper beneath the outlet of the main hopper and having a relatively large sane. aver ract-ran it's raise-a po ition, a gate Ca n-dung an: Gan-a near as supp'lenie'titli ry llio'p' per; a 'pro'j'e'ctioii from said giite'ii-t. iss'tjepath' ofthe c'a'r whereby the gate 'opened' upon"arrival of'the ealat the .up -iei' liiilit travel," and means to discharge the 'lotidjo'i": die- ,c'ar' upon its ai'- rival at the lower liir'i'i't'of it s travel.

. iauwma Qyl mp i i easi tra clr, a' car thereon, a counterweight and pulley arranged to draw the car up the track, means to deliver a measured load of flowing material to the car upon its arrival at the upper limit of its travel, and means at the bottom of the track to open a gate controlling an outlet from the car, whereby its load is discharged without tilting the ear.

6. An automatic toy, comprising an in clined track, a car thereon, a pulley and countel-weight arranged to draw the empty car up the track, a conical load storage hopper situated over the upper end of the track and having a small opening in the bottom thereof. a supplementary hopper situated under the opening from the main hopper, and hav ing its entire bottom open, a valve controlling the bottom of the supplementary hopper and adapted to be opened upon arrival of the car thereunder, supplementary tracks at a lesser inclination than the main track situated at the lower end thereof, a gate closing the lower end of the car, and Wheels attached to said gate and adapted to ride on the supplementary tracks, whereby to lift the gate to discharge the load upon arrival of the car at the lower limit of its travel.

7. An automatic toy, comprising a load storing receptacle having a relatively small outlet at the bottom thereof, a supplementary measuring receptacle beneath the outlet from the main container having a relatively large discharge opening therefrom, a valve controlling the discharge opening from the supplementary container, and a transporting member operated by a counterweight to open the valve, and adapted to receive a load, carry it to a distance and then discharge it.

8. An automatic toy, comprising a load storing hopper, an outlet from said hopper of comparatively small size, a load measuring receptacle beneath the outlet of the main hopper, an outlet from the measuring receptacle of comparatively large size, and a valve controlling said large outlet, a depending arm attached to the valve, a load receiving and transporting car, a counterweight normally holding the car in position under the measuring receptacle and against the arm of the valve, and means to discharge the load from the car at a distance from the hopper.

9. An automatic toy, comprising a load storing hopper, a supplementary measuring receptacle beneath an outlet from the hopper, a valve controlling the bottom of the receptecle, e depending arm fixed to the valve, In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set a cer adapted to receive a load flowing from my hand. themeasnring receptacle, means to move the car toe distance, means to discharge the BENJAMIN F.-BAIN.

' loacljgfrom the oer, and meansto return the gel to a, position to strike thearm of the Witnessesi valve and so to discharge the contents of the A. E. JOHNSON, measuring receptacle into the car. G. H. LERESCHE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents eech by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

